Being present. Day 6: Using your body to get grounded

After my little wipe-out knee injury yesterday, I have been pretty much out of commission. I can walk + bend my knee now, but I’m keeping it up + iced for the most part. And honestly, if feels as if I’ve been in a car crash, as I have body aches all freaking over. Really, though, it’s been a great reminder (excuse) to think a lot about how I treat myself + how I care for myself. And, while I try to live as slowly + mindfully as possible every single day, having pain all over my body has forced me to slow down so much that I have actually stopped today. I stopped everything. And I don’t feel guilty about it at all. In fact, I feel gratitude for it. Gratitude for feeling pain my in body, gratitude for letting my mind rest, and gratitude for finding ways to lift my spirit. And as I stood in the shower this afternoon, letting the hot water soothe my aches + pains, I was overcome with how present I was in that moment. And, I started thinking about all the different ways that I can get grounded through my physical body.

I’ve never really thought of that before. Or I’ve never thought of it as a specific way to get grounded. But, I stood there in the shower, just being grateful for my body helping to keep me aware + present. And I realized that I use my physical being in many different ways to ground myself. There are endless amounts of possibilities that help me to slow down + pay attention. And, of course, there are often also unexpected moments in life that force us to wake up and notice how much we are not noticing. That remind us to take care of our souls + our bodies.

So, after my shower, I decided to really ponder what physical, tangible ways help to keep me grounded. What moments in life, when I create space for them, help to keep me aware of the present moment. Sometimes it’s something as easy as thinking about what I am doing. Sometimes it’s a moment that I need to make happen, a conscious choice. And sometimes, it just happens to me. Whatever kind of moment it is, though, it is sure to bring me back to the reality of my soul. To equalize me. To give me perspective. To calm my spirit. To root me down into the deep ground.

Here are the different ways that I came up with that I use my body to find my grounding. To get present in the moment. They are just regular everyday moments in life that, when done with attention + awareness, become sacred moments of magic + meaning.

→ stretch: To bend, stretch, practice yoga, and feel the tension + pull + release of my muscles and my joints makes me feel alive. It calms me + reminds me to breathe, teaching me also what it means to be flexible – in body + in life.

→ sleep: Laying down at night is one of the most amazing things I know. I looooove to sleep. And, even though I am not conscious when I sleep, I am conscious when I lay down + when I wake up of the fact that either I am about to rest + restore my body, or I have just woken from (hopefully) a restful, restorative night.

→ shower: I often just stand in the shower. After I have finished cleaning, then I stand. I let the water just flow over me. Not for too long, as I don’t want to be wasteful. But, for a couple of minutes. And in those minutes, I do nothing. Nothing at all except feel. I think about how grateful I am to have water. I think about how it cleanses me, and, should I choose, I imagine it as baptismal waters, making me new + fresh + ready for whatever comes next. It’s just a moment of pure solitude + bliss.

→ stand: Speaking of standing, I love to do barefoot. As much as I can I let my feet touch the organic ground. Rooting myself with nature. But, sometimes, when I am not outside, I just stop + stand wherever I am. Acknowledging that this is where I am. Feeling my feet on the floor. Stable. Sturdy. Strong. Right in the moment. And ready to carry me forward.

So, while I may consciously focus on living slowly + intentionally. Life sometimes happens + reminds me to slow down even more. To gain even more perspective. Or to just stop all together.

This is what Advent + wintertime is for. Not only do happenings in life slow us down, but the seasons teach us of all the different ways to be + live. In the dark, cold winter, we are reminded to just stop. To turn inward. To let our pace ease. To focus on home + hearth + soul. To return to the ground of our being, accepting + basking in the cozy glow of twinkling lights, candles, fires, blankets, warm drinks, and long, dark nights.

But, it’s up to us how we choose to experience this season. It’s up to us to recognize when the universe is giving us a chance to slow down. And it’s up to us to even choose to create space for being present in our lives.

How we do that, though, is up to each of us. There are so many different ways to get grounded, to live in the presence of the moment. Choose right now to slow down this weekend + wonder about the things that help you to feel stable, rooted, connected, empowered and at peace. And then, make a plan for yourself to spend some time every single day, until the end of the year, honoring your soul by getting grounded in whatever ways work for you.